“Time to skip a step in the build” ...RU hoops COMMENTS and OBSERVATIONS entering the new year

[Scarlet Shack]

It’s been a long time that I have had the energy (and the optimism.to write one of these posts...but here we go as we head into the big ten confrence play

1.) wondering if we will start to a little more zone in confrence play as a Change up defense to keep teams off balance. The length we have makes for a compelling argument to do. Ditto the full court trap. Causing 1-2 turnovers can flip a game from that, especially in the game where we aren’t knocking them down from deep.

2.) Shaq carter...time for you to show that most improved label from coach pike this offseason and get a serious case of senioritis. 15 productive minutes that on the defensive end to match the offense and boards you have may be the key for this team to dance. Myles gonna get his fouls sometimes ...it’s time to Bring it

3.) I don’t know what people expected from RHJ ...but 12 and 6 as a sophomore is a major jump up. Personally, I think he is ONE more year of S&C away from hitting his peak, especially in the Lower body

4.) Jacob young ...if he rubs off the earl duncan-itis, and plays more “we ball” and less “me ball” is going to be a major piece for us. I know he tries to get contact to get to the line, but Think He would be more effective by sometimes pulling up for that 5-8 feet shot in the Paint and not trying to get all the way to the rim

5.) Myles Johnson..enough said. More
Touches please for this legit walking double
Double.

6.) the defensive rotations are getting a lot faster and better. You can see the reaction
Becoming instinct and not having to be thought through.

7.) I really think we need to watch geo’s Minutes so he is fresh in February and March. Target that 30 number. And preferably 28

7.) speaking of geo...thinking he is rushing his shot just a tad and needs to pull up a little stronger and his shot percentage will go way up

8.) I can’t remember the last time we ever got a schedule from any confrence that didn’t doom us to slow start. Gotta to take advantage because February/March has 6 games against currently nationally ranked opponents ...and only two at the RAC

9.) we MUST show up in masses for the game at the garden against Michigan. This is a MUST. Why we aren’t doing more to promote this is beyond me ....

10.) would like our offensive to get a little more inside out.

11.) quietly, our free throw shooting has at least become mediocre. Think it will be get better as the year goes on. Some of it is mental and experience as the young guys don’t shoot the same way each shot (lot of times out of fatigue)

12.) Paul Mulchay is getting better and better. Not Sure who he will take minutes from, but if he continues to look to shoot ebough to score 10 points in a game ...he needs to be on the court. His defense is getting better

13.) anyone notice we run the high ball weave on some of our offensive sets? Make bob wenzel smile ...that’s designed to get space for the ball to go to the post off the dribble drive ....

14.) Montez will be fine. He is struggling figuring out where the space is to get his shot off in the half court. Reminds me the same problem that John battle had ...until he figured it out. His defense is too important

15.) 15-6 heading into the garden (that means 5 of the next 8) is the goal. I think we get there...but need to take care of Nebraska

16.) lastly...we have not started a season 12-3 season since 1982-1983, the last year we won a NCAA game ....hmmmmm. The last time before that? 75-76....

Liking how things are shaping up...it’s all in front of us. Are we mature and focused enough to go grab it and want it?

Lot of that rides on number zero leading...and quiet leadership of Mr Yeboah who is turning into a
Major piece for us.....

 

[BillyC80]

Good post. Glad you mentioned Kwasi at the end. I think all things being equal in getting what we expect from everyone else, Yeboah will make the difference. He seems to have stepped up in bigger games. He’s a steadying force inside and out. Look for him to be a key ingredient in our conference wins, including at Nebraska tomorrow night.

 

[Degaz-RU]

Shack, so glad you’re back to writing this “Comments and Observations” feature. Always enjoy this.

Spot on with your comments. To which I would add:

- I agree with the comment about defensive rotations. I’ve made that same comment in recent game recaps. We have the 28th ranked defensive efficiency in the country according to KenPom. Who woulda thunk it after losing Shaq and Eugene in the post, but the key is the perimeter rotations and the gritty play by Myles, Harper and Kwasi in the paint. We get a lot of steals and blocks (both top 5 in the B1G), and our defensive rebounding has been very good too.

- Mulcahy definitely coming along and becoming a “plus” player on offense. He’s not a volume scorer, but he’s so diverse and helps the team in many different ways - settling the team down in the half court sets, terrific vision and passing, running things from the high post in our zone offense, and underrated rebounder, and showing an ability to score in various ways.

- IF, and it’s a big IF, Young can reign in the wild and erratic play on offense and give us a pass-first, under control guard we saw against Caldwell (who can also hit some shots), we are dancing. It’s that important of a role he plays, because we need him on the court for defense, but can’t play him more than 15 minutes if he’s Bad Jacob. If he’s Good Jacob, he plays 24+ minutes and we get a defensive and offensive force off the bench to partner with Mulcahy. The sizzle to Paul’s steak.

- That said, we need to shoot better from three point range. Not going to make the dance shooting 28-30%. Our best 3-pt shooters are Kwasi, Caleb and Ron, and we need to find ways to get them shots. Baker is streaky, but he’s mostly in bad streaks.

This is fun again.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

1. I hope we don't have to. We have been doing just fine defensively. I do agree with your premise. We also may have lineups we may need to.

To me sometimes going zone zaps aggressiveness.

2. THIS IS HUGE. Last year the glaring gap on the team was the back up to Baker. Mulcahy has successfully filled this. We can't have the same thing this year with Myles. Shaq has to give a good 15 minutes. I am definitely concerned here

6. Upside surprise for me. Very satisfied with what i have seen so far

7. I agree, but I doubt we will see it. Pike trusts Baker too much and i doubt he will play less than 34 minutes in a typical close B1G game

8. I'll worry about the schedule when the games are to be played

10. Me too, unfortunately against good competition and a 30 second shot clock it is easier said than done

12. I'll get back to you in 4-5 more B1G games

14. Montez has matured a ton AND it seems like he has taken to a reduced offensive role. For the most part Montez has taken what the defense gives and has done a very good job with decision making in transition (execution at times shaky)

The special sauce so far has been a team that wins 50/50 balls and plays good defense. Does that travel on the road? Is it still there in the middle of a B1G schedule on a Wednesday night?

The answers will tell us what type of team we have this year.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

I will add a couple of items that were blanketed above already.

Before we put the cart before the horse, I have checked some box scores and noticed

A) Some other B1G opponents have shortened their rotations. Coaches are looking to minimize mistakes vs taking the chance of growing their rosters. I am curious to see how our staff plays the longer term game of staying fresh or shortens things to avoid turnovers or leans on starters.

B) Rutgers is openimg as a B1G road conference favorite for I believe the 1st time in either football or basketball. I think we may have closed as a favorite in football at Illinois 2 years ago.

For basketball whether B1G, AAC or the old Big East, we may have to go back a long time. While that seems irrelevant to coaches or fans, we had a small batch of fans still picking RU to lose to Wisconsin and SHU at home a couple of weeks ago....and then it was "well, Wisconsin isn't that good or Seton Hall had an injury or isn't that good".

I know Vegas is ignored as a factor but I mentioned that "breaking trends ", is part of the building process. Once you start going 5 to 7 points past the expectation Vegas has, & the computer models have, it means players like Yoing, Mulcahy and McConnell along with Shaq Carter, elevate the bench.

People outside of the message board here or elsewhere are now going to have a huge problem and I caution the negative fans looking to be that pessimistic about everything.

Fans of other schools are going to start lurking, reading and trying to figure out what they missed or neglected to pay to attention to.

If the outside public thinks RU is better than our own segments of the fanbase, can we get behind the program without looking or sounding clueless or unaware?? I know it's hard to fathom, but we are an improving team that hasn't reached it's ceiling yet.

What will the RU fans reaction become when other fanbases say, "RU fans don't even believe they're that good ". Should we encourage them to bash us??

Trust me folks, people are aware we are better.....some are VERY reluctant and actually horrified we are ahead of schedule or playing better basketball. Some could care less and think it's good for the league.

BUT there comes a point in time where you have to get behind the program and ahead of your skiis a bit, to get to the next level....and it's OK if you stumble through a couple of spots as it happens.

If the bench continues to be trusted and productive, there are a lot of trends going to be broken and games won. Let's see how it develops.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

We were very impressive vs.SHU
We were very impressive vs Wisconsin

This is still the team the lost at St. Bonnies
This is still the team that looked shaky at PITT

Some, in my opinion, are being WAY premature.

What is shocking to me is that defense has been our calling card and has actually masked a lot of concerns that we should have.

What should worry Rutgers fans primarily right now is whether in the half court we can score enough points. This team to this point has exceeded my expectations, but is still behind offensively. I expected better offensively.

 

[BillyC80]

BUT there comes a point in time where you have to get behind the program and ahead of your skiis a bit, to get to the next level....and it's OK if you stumble through a couple of spots as it happens.

This is the Charlie Brown syndrome at work. We as RU b-ball fans just can’t allow ourselves to be fooled when Lucy pulls the ball away, yet again.

Think about it. Here we are on January 3, 2020 with a NET ranking of #31, when we ended last season at #101. We stand on the precipice of something really good and we can hardly believe it.

There will come a time, maybe as soon as 5 days from now, when we can all believe what we’re seeing is real, and we can start to understand just how good this team is, and how successful we can be, quite possibly THIS YEAR.

I’ll say this, if we win tonight, the RAC will be rocking and raucous on Tuesday night. These are the days we’ve been waiting and hoping for, and as nerve-wracking as it can be for us die-hard fans, I will enjoy every minute of it.

 

[RUBigFrank]

We do not need to be a GREAT three point shooting team to win - however improvement here would be a bonus. This team is about depth, rebounding and defense.

 

[RUChoppin]

For basketball whether B1G, AAC or the old Big East, we may have to go back a long time.

Did a little digging, and it looks like the last time we were favored in a road conference basketball game was @DePaul on 3/2/11. We opened as 3.5 favorites and closed at 4.0 favorites, and won 68-64.

 

[RU-ROCS]

We were very impressive vs.SHU
We were very impressive vs Wisconsin

This is still the team the loss at St. Bonnies
This is still the team that looked shaky at PITT

Some, in my opinion, are being WAY premature.

What is shocking to me is that defense has been our calling card and has actually masked a lot of concerns that we should have.

What should worry Rutgers fans primarily right now is whether in the half court we can score enough points. This team to this point has exceeded my expectations, but is still behind offensively. I expected better offensively.

All true. The team is still a work in progress and has much more work to do to exorcise the lost to the Bonnies. The biggest statistical concern on offense is that RU is still the worst 3-point shooting team in the league and almost the worst from the FT line. Those percentages need to improve if RU is going to take the next step.

 

[richthedentist]

Quick on #9 it is a Michigan home game so not sure how much we can really promote it other than its a great deal to get a ticket for one event and witness two!!!

 

[richthedentist]

All true. The team is still a work in progress and has much more work to do to exorcise the lost to the Bonnies. The biggest statistical concern on offense is that RU is still the worst 3-point shooting team in the league and almost the worst from the FT line. Those percentages need to improve if RU is going to take the next step.

I don't know how we change those two things we are what we as shooters and when we have those nights where we are on from 3 and also shooting foul shots than we can beat anyone in this league; when we are not on well we have still made those games dogfights and hoefully we can pull a few more of those out

 

[Degaz-RU]

This is the Charlie Brown syndrome at work. We as RU b-ball fans just can’t allow ourselves to be fooled when Lucy pulls the ball away, yet again.

Think about it. Here we are on January 3, 2020 with a NET ranking of #31, when we ended last season at #101. We stand on the precipice of something really good and we can hardly believe it.

There will come a time, maybe as soon as 5 days from now, when we can all believe what we’re seeing is real, and we can start to understand just how good this team is, and how successful we can be, quite possibly THIS YEAR.

I’ll say this, if we win tonight, the RAC will be rocking and raucous on Tuesday night. These are the days we’ve been waiting and hoping for, and as nerve-wracking as it can be for us die-hard fans, I will enjoy every minute of it.

Agree here about Charlie Brown and Lucy. As Rutgers fans, we have been conditioned to think that, even if things are going well, trouble is right around the corner. We believe this because it is invariably and unfortunately TRUE that bad stuff usually happens to our school or our sports programs just when you think we're on our way to goodness or greatness.

But it's time to break that cycle. This team surely has flaws, but as fans, we're like a woman looking at herself in the mirror -- she is going to nitpick every last flaw that other people wouldn't even see if they weren't looking closely with a magnifying glass.

Flaws aside, we also do a lot of things much better than most of our opponents do them, such as rebounding, blocked shots, steals, 2-pt FGs, running in transition. This isn't the Corey Sanders years when we only had one or two options on offense and we had to muck it up on defense and keep the games in the 50s or low 60s to have any chance to win. We now have talent and we have "answers" on both offense and defense.

Hopefully these answers will counterbalance our 3-pt shooting and FT shooting flaws, and hopefully the flaws will actually start to improve over time.

 

[RU-ROCS]

I don't know how we change those two things we are what we as shooters and when we have those nights where we are on from 3 and also shooting foul shots than we can beat anyone in this league; when we are not on well we have still made those games dogfights and hoefully we can pull a few more of those out

One way is to have Yeboah and McConnel take more of the team's three point shots and Geo and Caleb get to the line more. You also have to hope that Baker and Harper's 3-point shots will start falling at a better rate. FT's will remain a problem until Myles improves dramatically from the line. Young is also killing us in that department. He was once a 78% FT shooter as a freshman at UT. Harper needs to be much better from the FT line too.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

One way is to have Yeboah and McConnel take more of the team's three point shot

This is the theme.

In the small sample size of 4 Top 100 games only Baker Harper and Young have usages over 20% (1 player out of 5 on floor).

We desperately need Caleb to take and make 3s. His usage is an Issa like 12.9% in these games. Yeboah at 17.8%

Yeboah is 8-14 from 3 in these 4 games. We know Caleb can shoot.

Issa in Top 100 games (jr...fr)
12.0%, 10.9%, 10.3%

 

[RUHouston]

The remarkable thing here is, and to echo Coach, we are still a young team! They're still learning HOW to win. I think, sometimes, they THINK they know how but get lazy or do a little showboating (getting a little comfy with the Alley Oops).

If they can marry their defensive prowess from the Home Court to an Away Game then I think we can really be special this year. The pieces ARE there...

 

[PiscatawayMike]

9.) we MUST show up in masses for the game at the garden against Michigan. This is a MUST. Why we aren’t doing more to promote this is beyond me ....

 

[RUChoppin]

One way is to have Yeboah and McConnel take more of the team's three point shots and Geo and Caleb get to the line more. You also have to hope that Baker and Harper's 3-point shots will start falling at a better rate. FT's will remain a problem until Myles improves dramatically from the line. Young is also killing us in that department. He was once a 78% FT shooter as a freshman at UT. Harper needs to be much better from the FT line too.

Young was 11/14 (.786) as a freshman from the line, which is hardly enough to have an accurate percentage. He was 8/14 to start this year (.571), but has gone 11/16 since (.688). He's a career .682 shooter on 66 total attempts... which is the closest we'll get to an expectation until his attempts number gets much larger.

Johnson definitely needs to improve, but so does Harper, who has dropped from .679 to .643 in the early going.

Still, the disparity doesn't account for many points per game. We've averaged just 18.5 FTA per game this year, and have made 12.0 on average. Jumping from .650 to .700 as a team only gets us an extra point.

 

[beelzebub14]

Shack welcome back. Enjoy reading your take, bring back the football write ups in 2020?

 

[BillyC80]

We do not need to be a GREAT three point shooting team to win - however improvement here would be a bonus. This team is about depth, rebounding and defense.

It’s a question of who’s taking the threes. If Baker (25%), Mathis (23%) and Young (20%) would limit their 3-point attempts we would be far better off.

Here’s a factoid to ponder. Kwasi is 16-34 on threes (47%), while Geo is 17-67. Geo has one more made three in 33 more attempts, and has missed 50 threes!

Meanwhile Geo is shooting 55% on 2-pointers and 84% from the foul line, so he should take it into the paint more often and defer more 3-pointers to Kwasi.

 

[Degaz-RU]

Agree here about Charlie Brown and Lucy. As Rutgers fans, we have been conditioned to think that, even if things are going well, trouble is right around the corner. We believe this because it is invariably and unfortunately TRUE that bad stuff usually happens to our school or our sports programs just when you think we're on our way to goodness or greatness.

But it's time to break that cycle. This team surely has flaws, but as fans, we're like a woman looking at herself in the mirror -- she is going to nitpick every last flaw that other people wouldn't even see if they weren't looking closely with a magnifying glass.

Flaws aside, we also do a lot of things much better than most of our opponents do them, such as rebounding, blocked shots, steals, 2-pt FGs, running in transition. This isn't the Corey Sanders years when we only had one or two options on offense and we had to muck it up on defense and keep the games in the 50s or low 60s to have any chance to win. We now have talent and we have "answers" on both offense and defense.

Hopefully these answers will counterbalance our 3-pt shooting and FT shooting flaws, and hopefully the flaws will actually start to improve over time.

Lucy strikes again, literally HOURS after I posted this. Baker out indefinitely.

CAN’T WE EVER CATCH A FRACKING BREAK?!?!

 

[RU MAN]

It’s been a long time that I have had the energy (and the optimism.to write one of these posts...but here we go as we head into the big ten confrence play

1.) wondering if we will start to a little more zone in confrence play as a Change up defense to keep teams off balance. The length we have makes for a compelling argument to do. Ditto the full court trap. Causing 1-2 turnovers can flip a game from that, especially in the game where we aren’t knocking them down from deep.

2.) Shaq carter...time for you to show that most improved label from coach pike this offseason and get a serious case of senioritis. 15 productive minutes that on the defensive end to match the offense and boards you have may be the key for this team to dance. Myles gonna get his fouls sometimes ...it’s time to Bring it

3.) I don’t know what people expected from RHJ ...but 12 and 6 as a sophomore is a major jump up. Personally, I think he is ONE more year of S&C away from hitting his peak, especially in the Lower body

4.) Jacob young ...if he rubs off the earl duncan-itis, and plays more “we ball” and less “me ball” is going to be a major piece for us. I know he tries to get contact to get to the line, but Think He would be more effective by sometimes pulling up for that 5-8 feet shot in the Paint and not trying to get all the way to the rim

5.) Myles Johnson..enough said. More
Touches please for this legit walking double
Double.

6.) the defensive rotations are getting a lot faster and better. You can see the reaction
Becoming instinct and not having to be thought through.

7.) I really think we need to watch geo’s Minutes so he is fresh in February and March. Target that 30 number. And preferably 28

7.) speaking of geo...thinking he is rushing his shot just a tad and needs to pull up a little stronger and his shot percentage will go way up

8.) I can’t remember the last time we ever got a schedule from any confrence that didn’t doom us to slow start. Gotta to take advantage because February/March has 6 games against currently nationally ranked opponents ...and only two at the RAC

9.) we MUST show up in masses for the game at the garden against Michigan. This is a MUST. Why we aren’t doing more to promote this is beyond me ....

10.) would like our offensive to get a little more inside out.

11.) quietly, our free throw shooting has at least become mediocre. Think it will be get better as the year goes on. Some of it is mental and experience as the young guys don’t shoot the same way each shot (lot of times out of fatigue)

12.) Paul Mulchay is getting better and better. Not Sure who he will take minutes from, but if he continues to look to shoot ebough to score 10 points in a game ...he needs to be on the court. His defense is getting better

13.) anyone notice we run the high ball weave on some of our offensive sets? Make bob wenzel smile ...that’s designed to get space for the ball to go to the post off the dribble drive ....

14.) Montez will be fine. He is struggling figuring out where the space is to get his shot off in the half court. Reminds me the same problem that John battle had ...until he figured it out. His defense is too important

15.) 15-6 heading into the garden (that means 5 of the next 8) is the goal. I think we get there...but need to take care of Nebraska

16.) lastly...we have not started a season 12-3 season since 1982-1983, the last year we won a NCAA game ....hmmmmm. The last time before that? 75-76....

Liking how things are shaping up...it’s all in front of us. Are we mature and focused enough to go grab it and want it?

Lot of that rides on number zero leading...and quiet leadership of Mr Yeboah who is turning into a
Major piece for us.....

Shack great post. Have your insights changed now that Geo is out for three weeks to a month?

 

[Scarlet Shack]

Shack great post. Have your insights changed now that Geo is out for three weeks to a month?

We really need Jacob young to step up and be the scorer that the writers of this site predicted to lead this team in scoring in the pre-season

 

[RU MAN]

We really need Jacob young to step up and be the scorer that the writers of this site predicted to lead this team in scoring in the pre-season

Agreed. I would also like to see Mulcahy and Mathis really step up as well and score.

 

[RU848789]

Nice post, but can you rewrite it now accounting for Baker being out for a month? :>)

 

[Scarlet Shack]

Nice post, but can you rewrite it now accounting for Baker being out for a month? :>)

NOPE!

SEASON and GAME ON!

 

[RU848789]

NOPE!

SEASON and GAME ON!

Strap in folks - it's going to be one helluva ride!!